Journeys in the Jungle Room
by marinawings
Summary: Completely based on a dream I had recently. A collection of stories about my adventures with the King Kong characters in Miss Lucy's Jungle Room. Read the first chapter to understand. Add a bit of romance as the third category, of course.
1. Into the Jungle Room

This little story is base heavily on a dream I had last night, in which I had the pleasure of traveling through a time/dimensional portal and meeting the surviving characters from the movie "King Kong." I am embellishing it a bit to make it smoother and more interesting, and also incorporating events and characters from other dreams. Some events in the story may seem really off the wall, but that's because they are based on dream events, and you know how dreams are. And to those of you who have read my two King Kong stories, I am not leaving Leviathan. I just had to at least _start_ writing this down before I forgot it. And you may recognize some character quirks from the stories that popped up in my dream.

So… here begins the story.

_Being the True Account of the Adventures of One Marina Richardson as Babysitter and Personal Assistant to an Expedition into Previously Unexplored Territory_

Miss Lucy's house was huge. I paused for a moment on the steps, unsure of whether or not to proceed. After a moments thought, I chose to go on with my mission. Slowly, holding my head high and hoping to look confident, I walked up the steps to the front door. Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I pressed the rather elaborate-looking doorbell button. I could hear the lilting, slightly off-tune chime of it echoing through the glorious mansion.

Then I waited.

And waited.

And waited.

I sighed and turned away from the door, a bit relieved and a bit disappointed at the same time.

Then, with a creak, the door swung open. "Why, hello there, dearie. Are you selling something?"

I turned around and swallowed. I was face to face with a tall, slim elderly lady with coiffed white hair and massive "ear bobs." "Actually, no ma'am. I'm just raising money for a youth group trip to New Zealand." I hated begging people for money. But how else would our poor little church group ever get to go to New Zealand? As assistant director, I had to do something. And I had been directed to the house of Miss Lucy, a renowned philanthropist.

Miss Lucy gave me a sideways sort of smile (that somehow made me nervous) and said, "Come in, come in. Do you have time for tea and a chat?"

"Yes," I replied. Why was I so apprehensive to go in that house with that harmless old lady? Banishing the nervous thoughts and feelings, I followed Miss Lucy into her foyer (which had a dark, cherry wood floor, two brass-framed mirrors, and a miniature chandelier).

"What may I call you, dear?" the lady asked me, looking at me in a way that can only be described as nosy.

"Marina. Marina Richardson," I said.

"Well, Marina Richardson, take a seat in the parlor, and I'll be right along with some tea." She motioned to the "parlor" door, then started off toward another one. But she hesitated in the doorway and turned back to me. "Try not to wander around, Marina," she said gravely. "You seem to be the kind of girl who likes adventure, likes to wander."

I'm sure my eyes were huge. What was she? A psychic? And was she rebuking me?

"I'm not trying to be rude, dear," she said in that pleasant soprano voice that was quite strong and clear for an older lady's. "I just want you to be safe." She brightened suddenly. "And tell you what--How would you like to see the Jungle Room after tea?"

Jungle Room… That sounded interesting. "I'd love to," I said, warming to the strange lady. Maybe she had the spiritual gift of "discerning the spirits," as the apostle Paul put it. I headed into the parlor (which was, naturally, stuffed with Victorian furniture and beautiful paintings and lamps and such) and took a seat on the burgundy chaise lounge. It was nice. I had always wanted one…

And I was immediately tempted to wander. "Must… sit… still," I muttered to myself, fighting down my curiosity. I really, really wanted to see the rest of this gorgeous house. Then I remembered Miss Lucy's words: "I just want you to be safe." That sent an odd, not entirely pleasant thrill up my backbone.

It wasn't long at all before Miss Lucy came into the parlor, carrying a lovely silver tea tray and set with perfect balance and Victorian grace. Could one lady have fixed that tea in so short a time? Had she been expecting someone to drop in and had it all ready? Or maybe she just had a bunch of servants to help her…

We chatted pleasantly for a few minutes, mostly talking about our interests. It surprised me how much I had in common with the eccentric, and perhaps magical, old lady. We both loved books and movies. And to my surprise, her favorite movie was the same as mine--Peter Jackson's King Kong.

"If you liked that movie, you will _love _my Jungle Room," Miss Lucy said cheerfully, sipping her tea. "If you're finished with your tea, I'll take you there now."

I was finished, and I told her so.

She stood, setting down her cup. "Come on, dear."

I stood. "Where do you want me to put this?" I asked, holding up my teacup.

"Just set it on the tray. It will get cleaned up." She motioned for me to follow. "Come on."

I set down my teacup and followed Miss Lucy out into the foyer. From there, she led me through a huge ballroom (with a black and white marble floor, a crystal chandelier, and a huge mirror on the ceiling) and up a curving staircase with a thick wooden balustrade. From there, we passed through a gallery full of portraits, a narrow hallway with thick, dark green carpet, and yet another Victorian-style parlor.

Finally, we came to another hallway. This one had a polished wood floor and was lined with doors. Over each door hung an elaborate plaque, bearing the title of the room within, such as "The Jousting Room," "The Beach Room," and "The Gold Rush Room." My hostess led me to a door somewhere in the middle. The brass plaque overhead read "The Jungle Room."

Miss Lucy smiled at me and drew a large ring of keys from a pocket in her dress. "Are you ready, my dear?" she asked.

I felt suddenly, inexplicably nervous. "Y-yes."

The elderly lady inserted a skeleton key into the lock under the crystal doorknob. "Don't worry, Miss Richardson. Just to the left of the door you will find a small backpack. It contains everything you will need until you reach the tree house."

"Tree house?" I eyed the door with curiosity. Was the room that big?

"Yes. Usually, it's a bit to the northeast of the door, but sometimes that changes."

The lock clicked, and Miss Lucy withdrew the key with ease.

She pocketed the keys and said, "You never know who you will meet there."

I raised a suspicious eyebrow. Maybe the woman was mad, after all! Did she really mean to suggest that the location of landmarks in the room actually changed? And that there were people in there?

"Go ahead. Go inside." She stepped back from the door, smiling benignly at me.

I stepped up to the door and touched the knob. It was cool and hard against my fingers. I turned hesitantly to the old lady. "Aren't you coming with me?" I asked.

She shook her head. "I think I'll let you go by yourself. You seem like the kind of person who could do well on your own." She cocked her head to the side and studied me. "But you don't like to be alone, do you? Even though you do well that way…" She shook herself. "Listen to me! Rambling on and on! Don't worry, dearie, there will be plenty of others to keep you company once you reach the tree house. Make sure you use your compass!"

"You're sure you don't want to come?" I asked, not quite sure why I was doing this, only that I _had _to.

"I'm sure." She looked down the long hallway. "I think I'm going to go in the Cold War Room. I just _love _a little espionage now and then."

"Will you come get me in an hour or so?" I asked. "I need to get home before dark."

"Don't worry about time, my dear. It will take care of itself," she said cryptically.

"All right." I turned back to the door, taking a deep breath, then turned the knob. Immediately, I was assailed by sound--the cawing of birds, the buzzing of insects, the whisper of wind in the trees. There was a fresh smell, like the scent of the earth just before rain. I opened the door farther and stepped inside. And I was really and truly in a jungle.

I closed the door gently behind me, then glanced back at it to make sure it was still there. It was. And to my surprise, it seemed to be carved into the trunk of an enormous tree. Cautiously, I circled the tree. The other side of the trunk was completely normal.

"This is nuts!" I muttered to myself. "Either Miss Lucy is a pixie and lives in a tree (making me a pixie myself), or there is a massive jungle in her house and a magical door that leads to it!" Somehow, I knew that there was truth in the latter idea.

Then I remembered what she had said about a backpack. I circled back around the tree and looked to the left of it. And there it was--a little, tan-colored backpack sitting on a rock. And leaning on the rock were two machetes!

"I suppose those are for me, too." I picked up the pack, which was heavier than I had imagined it would be, and opened it up. Nestled inside were a flashlight, a compass, a box of matches, a poncho, a bag of granola bars, a canteen, a pocket knife, a belt with chest straps, and (to my excitement) two pistols, with extra cartridges.

I put on the pack and belt first thing, noticing that there were holsters for the pistols, pouches for the cartridges, compass, and pocketknife, and sheaths on the back for the machetes on the belt. I slipped on all my weapons and struck a pose.

"Nice! Now I feel like a hero!"

I was enjoying this jungle so far.

Suddenly, there was a pounding sound from behind me, and the ground shuddered beneath my feet.

I froze, suddenly feeling very worried. What on earth was _in _this jungle?

Then there was a roar, and I knew.

I turned around to make sure I wasn't imagining things. I wasn't. There was a Tyrannosaurus Rex storming through the trees behind me. I didn't think it had noticed me yet, but I wasn't taking any chances. Checking my compass, I headed northeast, my body tense and ready to run. I glanced back a few times, making sure I wasn't being pursued. So far, so good…

Suddenly, a massive wasp rose up in front of me. I have a disproportionate fear of stinging insects. So, drawing a machete, I screamed. Really loudly. And stupidly, because both the wasp and the T-rex noticed me at that moment. And they both came at me.

Still screaming, I ducked under the giant wasp's attack and ran like the devil. I hoped that I had my bearings right and was running northeast, because I wasn't going to stop and get out my compass now! I eventually lost the wasp, but the dinosaur continued to pursue--and it was gaining ground.

"Miss Lucy!" I screamed hoarsely. "Miss Lucy! Get me out of here!" I didn't even think about going back through the door, now that the T-rex blocked my way back to it. "God help! God help! God help!"

Pretty soon, I had a stitch in my side. I'm not the world's best runner. Having very womanly breasts is never very helpful when you're running. And the reptile behind me did not have any such problems running.

Then, I saw my salvation ahead. The trees narrowed, forming a tight lane that looked oddly straight and well-planned. Feeling a burst of adrenaline, I picked up the pace, slashing away any vines or limbs that got in my way. The closer I got to the double line of trees ahead, the more I believed that it was humanly planned. There were even bamboo spikes protruding out of the first two trees, obviously placed there by some human being for protection from such as the beast behind me.

With the last bit of adrenaline in my body, I flung myself into the shaded lane. For a moment, I just laid there, panting and sweating, waiting to see if I would be eaten or not.

Not.

I sat up and turned around. The T-rex was roaring in frustration, too large to squeeze between the closely planted trees and the sharp bamboo.

"Ha!" I yelled hysterically. "Take that!" I jumped to my feet and started dancing around, twirling my machete over my head.

The dinosaur gave a loud snort and turned away, crashing back through the jungle.

I sheathed my machete and stood there watching its retreat, hands on my hips, chin lifted in defiance.

That was when the wasp caught up with me. It burst out from behind a bush and swooped toward me angrily. I chopped at it with my machete, but by now, my arms were shaking from my mad run, and my swings were weak and ineffective. Then I remembered my pistols. I was reaching to draw one. The wasp was coming nearer…

"Get down!" someone shouted.

I threw myself to the ground.

BANG!

The wasp exploded in a shower of blood and guts. One drop of blood splattered on my hand. I was fortunate to get away with only that.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?"

I froze, my eyes wide. I definitely recognized that voice. Miss Lucy's words came back to me. "If you liked that movie, you will _love _my Jungle Room..."

I stood up slowly, brushing the dirt from my knees, wiping the wasp blood from my hand, and turned around, hoping that I didn't look half as mussed up as I felt. "Captain Englehorn, my name is Marina Richardson. Nice to meet you."


	2. Wasp Slaying Babysitter

Yes, of course I dream about Englehorn, haha. I'm glad you all liked this! It's so much fun to write about this crazy dream!

Chapter Two

Captain Englehorn blinked his blue eyes. "How do you know my name?"

Uh-oh. How was I going to explain this one? _Actually, I think I'm from another dimension in which you are only a fictional character whom I find quite attractive… _No. That wasn't going to work. "Uhm… Actually, I was hoping to find you out here." _Mostly the truth. I don't care for lying. But I don't want to sound crazy. Maybe I'll work up to the amazing truth and tell him one day… _"I--I'd like to volunteer."

"Volunteer?" He was still looking at me as if I had just escaped from an insane asylum.

"Yes." My nose suddenly itched. I neglected to scratch it, not wanting to look childish. "I thought you might… need some help."

He raised one eyebrow. "Really? Where are you from?"

"North Carolina. In the United States."

"And how did you get here?"

_Oh boy. _"Uhm, a patroness of mine sponsored my journey here. She got me to the jungle, and I hiked the rest of the way." Completely true. I was sure Miss Lucy wouldn't mind being called my patroness.

Englehorn shoved his pistol back into its holster. "Do you have any experience in babysitting?"

I nearly laughed. "Yes. I do. I work at a child care center."

"Good. Come with me." He turned his back to me and started walking.

Dazed, excited, and massively curious, I followed. Babysitting? Who needed a babysitter out here in this jungle?

My favorite fictional (well, not fictional anymore) ship's captain led me down the path between the bamboo and trees. My eyes must have been the size of tennis balls. This jungle was beautiful!

Englehorn turned to glance at me, smiling wryly. "Never been to the jungle before, Miss… Richardson?"

I shook my head. "No. Never." As soon as he turned his back to me, I scratched my nose.

Then, suddenly, the bamboo path ended. And I was in a tropical paradise. There was a huge tree in front of me. Lining the path to it were two rows of torches. I was sure they would be beautiful at night. And in that tree was a tree house. I stopped walking and peered up at it incredulously. "Wow! Just like in the Swiss Family Robinson!" I couldn't help but exclaim.

Englehorn gave a short laugh and turned back around to face me. "Actually, that's the tree house it's based on. Jimmy was reading that book at the time."

I had been thinking of the old Disney movie, but I nodded as if I had meant the book. Then I said, "Jimmy? He's here, too?"

Both of the captain's eyebrows rose this time. "You know him?"

_Darn it, Marina! You're supposed to be the smart one in the family! _"No. But my patroness mentioned that he was one of your crew," I explained, hoping that was believable.

It must have been. Englehorn shrugged. "You'll get to meet him. Now, let me see if I can find--"

"Who is that with you, Captain?" someone called down from the tree house. Someone female.

_Let me guess. It's Ann. _

"She's the new babysitter, Mrs. Driscoll," Englehorn called.

Yes, Ann. And married to Jack, just like in my story.

Ann, formerly Darrow, now Driscoll, came flying down the winding rope-and-board staircase (just like in the Swiss Family movie) and ran to my side. "I'm so glad you're here!" she gushed.

"Me, too," I replied, grinning.

Ann took my hand. "Let me introduce you to your charges."

I was, by this time, ecstatic and nearly giddy. This was like a dream come true! I was going to become friends with my favorite characters from my favorite movie and baby-sit their children! Wait… I glanced at Englehorn, who seemed preoccupied with staring up at the tree house. Did _he _have children? That wasn't a pleasant thought. I was rather attracted to the man…

I wondered what his first name _really _was…

"What's your name?" Ann asked as she led me up into the tree house.

"Marina. Marina Richardson." _Ha! That would be like James Bond saying, "James. James Bond." Odd thought…_

"How did you find out that we needed a babysitter?" Ann asked. She sounded almost as excited as I felt.

"Well… a friend of mine recommended me…" _Thank-you, God, and thank-you, Miss Lucy!_

Ann led me into a beautiful little circle-shaped room built between the enormous branches of the tree. Sitting on a colorful round rug in the middle of the room was a little boy. He was playing with a puffy gray kitten.

"That's Joseph, my son." Ann smiled proudly. She turned to the little boy. "Come here, Joseph. Come meet your new babysitter."

The little fellow hopped to his feet and ran to face me. He was adorable! He was delicate like his mother, with Jack's dark hair and eyes.

"Why, hello, Joseph," I said, smiling at him. "How old are you?"

He held up two fingers and said, "Fo-ah."

"He's almost four," Ann translated quickly.

I looked around. She had said charg_es_…

"He's our only child," Ann explained. "Your other charge is his cat, Muffin."

So Englehorn didn't have children… I was relieved. "Well, this seems like a nice deal to me."

Ann looked at me strangely. "Miss Richardson, we haven't even _talked _about the pay yet."

"Psht." I flicked my wrist at her. "I'll do this for free. Being out here in this jungle, all the adventure--that's pay enough. And you can call me Marina."

Ann grinned. "I think we're going to be friends," she said.

"Yeah. Me, too." I was still completely amazed at actually being in the jungle with these people. "So… what are you all doing out here, anyway?"

"We're exploring." Ann looked around the room, half smiling. "After everything that happened to us… we couldn't go back to our normal lives." She glanced at me quickly. "I suppose you know the story."

"Yes." _I know more than you think, too. _

Ann sighed. "No sense in dwelling on the past. Now, Jack and I are filming our own movie out here--_without_ Carl Denham. And somehow, we talked the captain into bringing us here, to this jungle."

"Are you the only ones out here? I heard the captain mention someone else. Someone named Jimmy."

"It's just us, the captain, Jimmy (he's Englehorn's cabin boy), and our friend Preston," Ann explained. "Preston handles all the camera equipment. He used to work for Denham."

"Oh." _Yes, Ann, I know about him, too. _"So… how often will I be needed?"

"Well, do you think you can manage every day?" Ann asked.

"I'm not sure, uhm…" I thought fast, wondering what sort of time difference there was between this 1930's jungle world and the world in which I lived. Miss Lucy had told me not to worry about time, that time would take care of itself. I decided to trust her. "I think I can. I'll try."

Ann eyed me closely. "Marina, where exactly are you thinking of going home at night?"

"Well, there's this woman I know who lives near here--"

"_No one_ lives near here."

_Darn it. _"I'll explain it to you later, okay? Just trust me." _Please God, let her trust me… This is the opportunity of a lifetime!_

"You seem trustable to me," Ann declared after a moment's pause. "How about we let today be your trial? If you do well today, I'll keep you."

"That sounds good."

We shook hands on it, smiling.

Suddenly, the sound of gunshots exploded in the air.

"Joseph!" Ann exclaimed. She ran to her son.

I was close on her heels. "Is there anywhere safe we can go?"

"This place is about the safest there is," Ann explained.

The three of us huddled against the wall, trying to stay away from the windows.

I was itching to get out there and see what was going on. I had weapons. Maybe I could help…

I suddenly heard a familiar voice (Jack's) yell, "Stop it! Stop it! It's going to the tree-house!"

More shouts and gunfire.

I drew my pistol from its holster. "Ann, I've got a weapon. If whatever it is gets up here, I'll stop it, okay? So stay behind me, all right?"

She nodded, holding her son tightly in her arms. "Be careful," she whispered.

For a moment we just sat there. Worried thoughts raced through my head. I was a pretty good shot with a rifle, but I didn't have much experience with pistols… Would I really be able to hit whatever it was that was coming toward us?

Then we heard it. The buzzing sound.

My throat constricted. Another giant wasp. My old fear of stinging insects sat cold and hard in the pit of my stomach. I stood slowly, trying not to shake. "Ann, Joseph, stay back," I whispered.

The buzzing grew louder, and then it appeared, its blocky form taking up the doorway. Yes, it was another giant wasp.

_Wasps don't just attack people, _I thought frantically. _They have to be provoked. Maybe if I don't provoke this one…_

Suddenly, Muffin, the little cat, bounded forward at the wasp. The kitten obviously thought the wasp was friendly, for it started batting at it.

"Muffin! No!" Joseph cried.

The wasp finally noticed the kitten, and its buzzing grew louder.

I stomped and hissed at the kitten, trying to get it to run away. Muffin finally took the hint and ran back to Joseph, who scooped his kitten up eagerly.

But now, the wasp was annoyed with me and my noisemaking. It spun on me, wings vibrating.

Aiming the pistol at the hulking creature, I pulled the trigger.

Bang!

The gun kicked. The bullet scraped the wasp's side, and it hovered back, buzzing angrily.

_Ha! I can shoot a pistol! _I aimed again and pulled the trigger.

Click.

Nothing but a click.

"NO!" I cried, shaking the gun. Was I out of bullets? Had the gun jammed?

The wasp was advancing once again.

I slid my pistol back into its holster and reached behind me for my machetes. I drew them both quickly, feeling a sudden surge of adrenaline at the sound of steel hissing out of its scabbards. "Come and get me!" I shouted at the wasp.

Perhaps the thing understood English, because it came at me, buzzing madly.

I took a stance, waiting for the right moment. The wasp was now so close, I could touch it.

Ann screamed, "Marina! Kill it!"

And I swung. It was a bit jarring when one of my blades met the wasp's body, but I kept my hold on the handle and managed to swing the other machete down toward the insect's head. It was another hit.

The wasp dropped out of the sky, dragging me and my weapons down with it.

I jerked out the machetes and stood, panting and shaky. The wasp twitched out its final breaths at my feet. Behind me, Ann, Joseph, and Muffin were utterly silent.

There was the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Jack and Englehorn came into view, weapons drawn.

Jack grinned at me. "Good work! You got it!" Then he looked behind me for his family. "Ann! Joseph!" He ran to meet them, slinging down his rifle, then scooping up his son in his arms and kissing his wife.

I stood frozen to the spot, my eyes wandering down to the carcass before me, my hands still clenched on my machetes.

Englehorn came to kneel on the other side of the creature, holstering his pistol. "It's dead," he said.

"I know," I replied.

"You killed it."

"I know."

He looked at it a moment longer, then stood, hands on his hips, staring at me. "I hope they keep you on as babysitter," he said quietly. There was a hint of a smile on his lips and a twinkle in his cerulean eyes. "You might be useful to me as well." My confusion at that last statement must have shown on my face, because he added, "As a fighter, a defender. You are good with weapons."

I smiled at him then. "Thank-you."

Ann extracted herself from her husband, son, and cat and walked to my side. She gave me an abrupt hug, beaming, and said, "You're hired."


	3. Friends and Fellow Warriors

Sorry it took me so long to update! I've been getting ready for Christmas! And thanks for all the feedback, everyone! I'm glad you're enjoying this! I surely am. And to answer the questions--up to this point, the story has been almost entirely based on the dream. This chapter won't be as much, because the dream got a little fuzzy then, and I'm going to smooth it out and make a smooth transition from one clear scene to the next. If that made any sense to anyone…

Chapter Three

I ate supper with the Driscolls, Englehorn, Preston, and Jimmy in the tree house. It consisted of fresh fruits, bread, and fish. We drank fruit juice. I suspected that everything but the bread had come straight from the jungle.

We engaged in small talk, and the Driscolls asked me polite and sincere questions about myself and my background. I answered as much as I could without revealing to them that I came from another dimension. I knew that eventually, they would have to know the truth, but it was not yet the time for that. Preston and Jimmy also asked questions. Englehorn just ate quietly, glancing curiously at me on occasion.

Suddenly, I remembered that I needed to get back home. Miss Lucy's sentiment about time taking care of itself flashed in my mind once again, and I wondered if time between worlds would be like in the Chronicles of Narnia. Hopefully, not much time had passed since I had entered the Jungle Room. And hopefully, not much time would pass between visits.

"There's a little room that's not quite finished yet that you can have," Ann was saying. "We were getting it ready for the babysitter. You kind of surprised us by showing up so early."

"Yes, you did," said Englehorn, finally speaking up. His cool blue eyes trapped mine. "Who was it who recommended you to us?"

I hesitated, taking a deep breath. Then, hoping that Miss Lucy had been here before, I said, "Miss Lucy."

There was a moment of silence. All eyes were on me.

Then Jack broke into a grin. "I kinda figured you were from the other dimension."

I stared at him, green eyes wide. "You _know _about all that?"

"Yes. Miss Lucy's been here before."

I sat back in my chair, extremely relieved. "Well that works out! I was so worried about how to tell you where I'm from!"

Everyone smiled at me--even Captain Englehorn.

After supper, Jack and Ann gave me a grand tour of the elaborate tree house, including the room that I would be sleeping in. It was a big, round room, like the others, with two windows and a hammock for the bed. It lacked a roof, however.

"Sorry about that," Jack said.

"No problem," I replied. "I just kinda popped out of the jungle with no warning."

"Don't worry. It doesn't rain that much out here," Ann explained. "And if it does, we can just cover the top with a tarp."

"Sounds fine with me," I said.

"You don't have to worry about rushing back home, either," said Jack. "The time flow between worlds is a bit strange. You can stay here in this world for days and go back to your own world five minutes after you left…" He scratched his head. "Did I say that right?"

"I got the point," I said. "But… is time like it is in the Chronicles of Narnia? Will I come back here to see you guys all old?"

They both looked at me with confused expressions.

I realized that C.S. Lewis had not written his books yet--and wouldn't for another twenty or thirty years. "I mean, time goes the same either way, right? I stay in my world for days, come back, and only a couple of hours have passed here. Right?"

"Yeah. That's it," said Jack.

"Okay."

We all sighed at the same time, then laughed.

"Wow! That was confusing!" I exclaimed.

"What would we have done without Miss Lucy?" Ann said.

"By the way, when are you going back?" asked a low, German-accented voice from behind us.

We all turned around to face Captain Englehorn.

"I suppose I'll stay the night, then return home in the morning," I said. "I do have things to do at home."

"You need to get your rest, then," Ann said kindly. "Go ahead and go to sleep. We'll wake you up in the morning."

I gave her a grateful smile. "Thanks, Ann."

I went to sleep that night looking up at the stars.

And I awoke the next morning feeling refreshed and energetic. The very air of the jungle seemed to flow through my veins, green and new and alive. I gathered up my weapons and equipment, then walked down the tree on the winding wooden staircase, careful to cling to the rope banister.

"Good morning, Marina!" called a voice from below.

"Good morning!" I called in reply.

It was Preston. He was walking around under the tree house, carrying little Joseph on his shoulders.

"How was your first night in the jungle?" he asked as I descended from the tree.

"Wonderful!" I exclaimed. "I think I could get used to sleeping under the stars."

"You need to," said Preston with a chuckle. "I think Joseph likes you better than me, anyway."

The little fellow was reaching for me and grinning. I took him from Preston and swung him around, elated that he liked me already. "We're going to be good friends. Aren't we, Joseph?"

"Yes!" he exclaimed, laughing as I swung him around again. He really was a beautiful child, with those big dark eyes and his mother's bright smile.

"Ann and Jack are thrilled that you found us," Preston said, smiling.

I set Joseph down on his feet. "I'm thrilled that I've found all of _you_!" I replied. "In my world, you guys are my heroes! And you're not even real, for heaven's sake!"

"That's just strange to me," said Preston.

"Miss Richardson, are you ready to go?" asked a voice from behind me.

You'll never guess who.

"Yes, sir. I'm ready." I waved good-bye to Preston and Joseph.

"Stay!" Joseph cried, reaching for me.

"I won't be gone long," I told him. "Just a few minutes." Which was true, and yet, in a sense, not true. _Dang it. How confusing…_

I followed Captain Englehorn down the little alley between the sharpened poles. I noticed that he was heavily armed.

Of course he was. This was a dangerous, dinosaur-filled jungle, and he was Captain Englehorn.

"So… you're my escort for the day?" I spoke up, trying to make conversation. I am a shy person by nature, and not prone to starting conversations with near strangers, but… This was Englehorn! This was a character from one of my favorite movies (and a very hot character, at that!)!

"Yes," he replied.

"Good," I said. "That makes me feel safe."

He turned and gave me a wry smile, then continued on.

We soon reached the narrow entrance to the pole-lined path. I took a deep breath, a bit nervous about journeying through the jungle again. But oddly, with that breath there seemed to come courage and perhaps even daring. I was suddenly excited, looking forward to another trek through the jungle. Still there was fear, but with it came courage and excitement.

"Are you ready?" Englehorn asked, turning to me.

I nodded quickly, my hand hovering over the pistol on my hip. "I'm ready."

He nodded at me, one eyebrow raised.

I waited a moment, then said, "Onward?"

He laughed abruptly, startling me. "Are you really so eager to be in danger of your life, Miss Richardson?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, sure that I was blushing (and embarrassed by it).

"You look so…" He hesitated, casting about for the word. "Excited. Ready." He pointed at my face. "Your cheeks are flushed, and your eyes are shining, and your heartbeat…" His finger now pointed toward the base of my throat. "I can see your pulse beating, and it's fast."

Needless to say, I was a bit flustered at his sharp perusal of my looks and emotions. And I had no clue what to say in reply. I realized that my mouth was hanging open most unbecomingly, so I quickly shut it and shrugged, trying to imply an air of nonchalance.

"Are you surprised that I noticed?" he asked.

The man was maddening. Maddeningly mysterious, maddeningly perceptive, and maddeningly attractive.

"Should I be?" I replied. "You seem to be an intelligent person." I grinned, suddenly having a witty thought. And before I could stop myself, it was out. "The only thing that surprises me is that you were looking at my face and my throat without me catching you." _By the gods, Marina! Must you always be either too stunned to speak or too stupid to stop yourself from doing so!?_

The eyebrow went up again. "I should not think that would surprise you, Marina."

I tried not to look at him, but couldn't resist, eyes captured by those of my hero. "Well, it does," I said lamely.

He smiled slowly. "You know, you remind me of the warriors of old."

_Wow. That's a compliment any girl would love to receive! _At least I didn't say that one out loud. Instead, I said, "How so?"

"I've read that some of them would become excited by battle, that their hearts loved the thrill of fighting." His smile was full now. "You must be descended from warriors."

"Celts on one side, Saxons and Vikings on the other--what can I say?" I replied, finally gathering my addled wits about me.

"Shall I call you Boadicea?" he asked.

"If you like," I said. I was reminded instantly of Enya's song "Boadicea," inspired by the woman warrior of ancient times.

He nodded, then quickly turned to the jungle. "Let's go."

And with that, we headed out into the dangerous green world that surrounded the tree house and its palisade.


End file.
